Australia’s second-oldest city has entered a bold new era

From boom to bust, Newcastle’s seen it all. From steelmaking powerhouse to post-industrial slump following BHP’s exit. Now Australia’s second-oldest city has a newfound spring in its step.

The CBD, all but deserted when satellite shopping centres opened, is roaring back to life. Newcastle is now proudly home to NSW’s largest public art institution outside of Sydney, while the opening of a new international airport terminal connects the city to Bali, Singapore and beyond.

A thriving food scene means everything from hatted restaurants and cool bars to a Florence-inspired deli and pubs punching above their weight are on offer.

A coastal city with the beach as its backyard, Newcastle has seen unprecedented development in the past decade. The old rail line has been replaced by a new public transport interchange and a $600 million light rail. Then there’s the two CBD campuses for the University of Newcastle and the opening of the first offshore campus of Japan’s Nihon University in the former heritage-listed law courts.

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The $880 million East End reinvigoration by Iris Capital spanning four city blocks nears completion and the art deco Newcastle Ocean Baths have been restored, while three five-star hotels have opened in the past five years: the Crystalbrook Kingsley, QT Newcastle and Little National.

There’s also a jam-packed events calendar featuring Newcastle Food month, Newcastle Writers Festival and New Annual, directed by Tory Loudon, formerly of Vivid Sydney and Sydney Theatre Company.

Reece Hignell, MasterChef alumnus, owner-baker of Cakeboi and ambassador of Newcastle Food Month (now in its sixth year), says an influx of young talent is injecting new life and creativity into Newcastle’s burgeoning food scene.

“You can now go to a Japanese vinyl cafe for a dirty martini, enjoy an exceptional wine list at a neighbourhood bistro like Harrisons and eat at pubs like The Del where chef Steve Scott is now cooking after a stint under Gordon Ramsay.”

Hignell, who moved back to his hometown in 2020, says Newcastle’s food scene is competitive and on par with Sydney. “We’re a hotspot but we’ve grown up and matured over the past decade.”

Opened last November in the revamped Edwards site, a former restaurant and bar owned by Silverchair bass player Chris Joannou’s, Papalote is a collaboration between Michael Portley, Stephanie Wells (Humbug) and Eduardo Molina (The Flotilla). Diners can’t get enough of the antojitos, cold and raw dishes and al carbon proteins cooked beneath charcoal in a custom brick pit.

“It’s the perfect time for Papalote,” says hospitality heavyweight Molina. “It’s the kind of place diners are seeking out especially as international travel for many feels out of reach for now.”

Molina said the former Edwards site had the right bones for the taqueria and agave bar concept and he and Portley formerly worked there. “It already feels like home to many Novocastrians, and it definitely feels like the right home for Papalote now.”

Over in the well-heeled suburb of The Junction, a stone’s throw from Merewether Beach, Cara is another newcomer filling a gap in Newcastle’s budding food scene. The wine-led bistro by chef-owner Max Crawford (most recently from Havilah in Launceston) focuses on small share plates and a carefully considered wine list featuring many little-known gems.

Japanese-inspired listening cafe Maru Hifi’s is an exciting new addition by owners Andrew Coughlan and Joel Hillier (who own neighbouring Jams Karaoke and Bar). The handcrafted space is acoustically designed to an inch of its life and offers 10,000 vinyl records.

It’s not just about aesthetics. The Japanese-influenced food and drink offering is equally good. Think golden braised rib curry, prawn katsu sando and cocktails such as Maru gin fizz made with T.K x Earp gin, yuzu and cumquat.

They say avoid restaurants with a view – the argument being some eateries rest on their panoramic laurels alone – but Roundhouse at the Crystalbrook Kingsley is the exception to the rule. The rooftop restaurant with epic sweeping vistas has appointed hatted chef Joey Ingram (ex Tetsuya’s and head chef of hatted Margan restaurant in the Hunter Valley) as executive chef. Working alongside him is chef Josh Gregory, former owner of Honeysuckle’s Thermidor restaurant.

The move ushers in a new chapter for The Roundhouse as it leans into seasonality and a strong coastal influence found confidently in dishes such as the open lasagne with scallops and Yamba tiger prawns and marinated tuna. Order a G&T with Earps Distilling Company olive gin to start.

Perhaps one of Newcastle’s most surprising success stories is tiny paninoteca and wine bar Arno Deli, which has garnered a cult following for its extraordinary panini.

Owner Will O’Brien, who has just opened a second outlet in suburban Adamstown, said Arno’s popularity has taken him by surprise given the first 18 months were tough going. “I believed in the product and didn’t want to change the sandwiches to appeal to a broader audience.”

O’Brien said Newcastle is a great place to be right now. “The food scene is thriving, and there are lots of great operators and chefs.”

Arguably the cherry atop the city’s ongoing revitalisation is the newly expanded and reimagined Newcastle Art Gallery. “Finally we have a state-of-the-art institution that our city deserves,” said gallery director Lauretta Morton.

“We’ve always punched above our weight with award-winning exhibitions but now have more opportunity to be a leader in the cultural landscape.”

Now home to one of Australia’s most significant public art collections, the expanded space is the culmination of a 20-year transformative journey which more than doubles its existing footprint. Rarely seen works by William Dobell, Margaret Olley and John Olsen sit alongside major new commissions in the gallery that builds on the original brutalist architecture.

“Newcastle has a thriving arts ecology – iconic artists from our collection such as Dobell and Olsen were born just around the corner from our gallery and Margaret Olley spent many years living here,” Morton said.

To mark the reopening, the gallery commissioned new works by Australian artists across the site including a four-metre-high sculpture by seventh-generation Novocastrian and Awabakal descendant Shellie Smith, created with renowned Newcastle sculptor Julie Squires. Comprising 30 cast aluminium fish in a spiralling school, it draws on the artist’s memories of fishing with her grandmother in nearby Port Stephens.

Other significant works include Kinyingarra Guwinyanba (Off Country) by Quandamooka artist Megan Cope, while renowned artist Fayen d’Evie has created two architectural-scale sculptures, improving accessibility to the original 1977 floating staircases for blind and low-vision visitors, incorporating tactile versions of key artworks.

“We want to be a cultural destination for visitors to our city with local, national and international exhibitions that you can’t see anywhere else,” Morton said.

Pubs are another beneficiary of Newcastle’s revitalisation – none more so than the Maryville Tavern, tucked away in one of Newcastle’s leafy inner-city suburbs. Born in 1930 during the Great Depression on the only tram route to the steelworks, the revamped drinking hole draws patrons today including chefs, tradies and families.

It’s where chef Tim Montgomery plates up some of Newcastle’s best food right now. Montgomery, former chef at hatted Bacchus, has a sentimental connection with the pub: his daughter’s christening party was held there and he shared a beer in the front bar with his dad before he passed away.

Preserving the hotel’s history and traditional features was at the heart of its 2025 transformation following its purchase by seasoned hoteliers Ty and Julianne Burford. The restored U-front bar looks pretty much as it would have when ironmongers dropped in for an end-of-shift schooner.

However, there’s now a leafy native-inspired beer garden, restored pressed metal ceilings, traditional timber wall panelling, locally sourced vintage art and an earthy heritage palate.

Montgomery’s menu is not what you’d expect from a little corner pub, leaning into his family’s Middle Eastern influence, with dishes such as mozzarella “pizza pocket” and Salmorejo and prawn “toast-ada” with sesame, flour tortilla and chilli crisps.

“We have a hatted chef in the kitchen, a vast beverage offering and a passionate team delivering old school customer service,” said Burford who also owns The Prince of Merewether.

“There’s such great energy in Newcastle – creativity fosters creativity. The newly expanded gallery, the international terminal and the evolution of our food and wine offering means there’s never been a better time to visit.”

THE DETAILS

VISIT
Newcastle Art Gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-4pm. Free guided tours run 12pm Fridays and 10.30am and 1.30pm on weekends. See newcastleartgallery.nsw.gov.au

DO
Newcastle Food Month (newcastlefoodmonth.com.au) is a month-long celebration of food and wine; New Annual (newannual.com) offers 10 days of art music and ideas; Newcastle Writers Festival celebrates the best of Australian writing (newcastlewritersfestival.org.au).

EAT
Arno Deli Newcastle and Adamstown (arnodeli.com.au); Papalote (papalotemexican.com.au); Maru Hifi (maruhifi.com); Cara (caranewcastle.com); Roundhouse (crystalbrookcollection.com); and Maryville Tavern (maryvilletavern.com).

MORE
visitnewcastle.com.au

The writer was a guest of Newcastle Food Month and Newcastle Art Gallery.

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Sheriden Rhodes is a travel writer and photographer who travels the globe with her frequent small flyer, Ella.Connect via X.AdvertisementAdvertisement